DETAILED ACTION
1. This office action is in response to U.S. Patent Application No.: 19/256,565 filed on 7/1/2025 with effective filing date 6/14/2022. Claims 1-18 are pending.
Double Patenting
2. The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1-18 are rejected on ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1-8 of US 12355947, claim 1-3 of US 11930163 and claim 1-19 of US 11375183. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other.
Current Application
US 12355947
1. A decoder configured to: receive a bitstream including a header and a coded picture having ultra high resolution; determine, using the header, that the coded picture includes two independently coded subpictures, the first sub-picture comprising a first plurality of CTUs in the coded picture and the second sub-picture comprising a second plurality of CTUs in the coded picture; determine that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless coding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using the lossless coding protocol; determine that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy coding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using the lossy coding protocol.
1. An encoder configured to: receive a video signal; encode a bitstream for decoding by a compliant decoder, the decoder configured to: receive the encoded bitstream including a header and a coded picture; determine, using the header, a location of a first independently coded sub-picture in the coded picture and a location of a second independently coded sub-picture in the picture, the first sub-picture comprising a first plurality of CTUs in the picture and the second sub-picture comprising a second plurality of CTUs in the picture; determine that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless coding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using the lossless coding protocol; determine that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy coding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using the lossy coding protocol.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an encoded bitstream which is decodable by a decoding method, the method comprising: receiving a bitstream including a header and a coded picture having ultra high resolution; determining, using the header, that the coded picture includes two independently coded subpictures, the first sub-picture comprising a first plurality of CTUs in the picture and the second sub-picture comprising a second plurality of CTUs in the picture; determining that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless coding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using the lossless coding protocol; determining that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy coding protocol; and decoding the second sub-picture using the lossy coding protocol.
5. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an encoded bitstream which is decodable by a decoding method, the method comprising: receiving the encoded bitstream including a header and a coded picture; determining, using the header, a location of a first independently coded sub-picture in the coded picture and a location of a second independently coded sub-picture in the picture, the first sub-picture comprising a first plurality of CTUs in the picture and the second sub-picture comprising a second plurality of CTUs in the picture; determining that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless coding protocol; decoding the first sub-picture using the lossless coding protocol; determining that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy coding protocol; and decoding the second sub-picture using the lossy coding protocol.
Allowable Subject Matter
After analyzing the current application examiner concluded that the novelty of the current application involves receiving a bitstream including a header and a coded picture having ultra high resolution, and determine that the coded picture includes two independently coded subpictures using the header, where the first sub-picture comprising a first set of coding tree units (CTUs) in the coded picture and the second sub-picture comprising a second set of CTUs in the coded picture. The decoder determines that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless coding protocol, decodes the first sub-picture using the lossless coding protocol, determines that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy coding protocol, and decodes the second sub-picture using the lossy coding protocol.
The prior art of record in particular, Anno et al. US 11,431, 972 B2 in view of Wang US 9,491,457 B2 and Choi et al. US 11,743,462 B2 does not disclose, with respect to claim 1, determine, using the header, that the coded picture includes two independently coded subpictures, the first sub-picture comprising a first plurality of CTUs in the coded picture and the second sub-picture comprising a second plurality of CTUs in the coded picture; determine that the first sub-picture is coded using a lossless coding protocol; decode the first sub-picture using the lossless coding protocol; determine that the second sub-picture is coded using a lossy coding protocol; and decode the second sub-picture using the lossy coding protocol as claimed.
Rather, Anno et al. discloses the apparatus has an encoded data generation unit that generates the encoded data including image data for each sub-picture obtained by dividing a picture. The encoded data generation unit generates a sub-picture header including sub-picture identification information for identifying the sub-pictures for each sub-picture, and includes the generated sub-picture header in the encoded data. A sub-picture encoding unit generates encoded data for each sub-picture. The sub-picture encoding unit initializes a slice address which indicates the CTU address of the slice head included in the sub-picture.
Similarly, Wang discloses the method involves decoding information indicating whether gradual decoder refresh (GDR) of a picture is enabled. Information that indicates whether slices of the picture belong to a foreground region of the picture is decoded when GDR is enabled, where the information includes a flag in a supplemental enhancement information (SEI) message and a slice header. Information indicating the pictures corresponding to a GDR starting point and a GDR recovery point is decoded. Video data corresponding to the slices between the GDR starting point and the GDR recovery point is decoded.
Moreover, Choi teaches the method involves encoding a sub-picture of a picture, independently from another sub picture of the picture, using sub-picture, tile group, and tile partitioning. A coded sub-bitstream of a coded video stream that includes the sub pictures is sent to a decoder. The sub pictures are provided with a set of tiles that are grouped into two tile groups. The former sub picture is encoded in accordance with a coding technology, where loop filtering control at a boundary between the tile groups is only allowed where each tile group is rectangular in shape.
Conclusion
4. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Joshi et al. US 9,716,894 B2, e.g. a video coder applies a residual differential pulse code modulation technique to a residual data of a block coded using lossy coding. The block may be coded without application of a transform to the residual data.
He et al. US 2013/0343448 A1, e.g. methods and devices for modified coding of blocks of residuals in the case of transform skipping. To better align the data with assumptions upon which the entropy coding scheme is based, the block of residual data is permuted at the encoder prior to entropy coding. The block of reconstructed data is then inverse permuted at the decoder to recover the reconstructed block of residuals.
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IRFAN HABIB whose telephone number is (571)270-7325. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Th 9AM-7PM.
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/Irfan Habib/Examiner, Art Unit 2485
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